 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
George Winter
American, born England, 1810–1876
Council Meeting
at Lake Kee-won-nay ca. 1850
Oil on canvas
Purchased by funds provided by the Glenn
A. and Ida F. Black Endowment, and through the generosity of Herman B Wells,
in honor of Eli Lilly; Campus Art Collection, Glenn A. Black Laboratory of
Archaeology
George Winter came to the Ohio Valley in 1837 and was captivated by the tragic
story of the Native Americans of the Midwest. He spent two years painting
and sketching the Miami and Potawatomi people in the region of Logansport
before they were forcibly removed to a reservation in the west.
His sketches became the basis for many paintings done in retrospect, including
this record of the important council meeting at present-day Bruce Lake in
Fulton County, Indiana. On July 21, 1837, the Potawatomi elders met there
with representatives of the U.S. government to conclude the sale of Indian
lands. The transfer of this territory into federal hands marked the end of
Native American encampments in Indiana.
Wells felt that this important painting belonged in an Indiana collection.
He proposed that the painting be acquired in honor of Eli Lilly and displayed
with a plaque “paying tribute to Mr. Lilly’s part in establishing
the Glenn Black Laboratory” at Indiana University “and especially
his sponsorship of the whole field of study of Indian history and archaeology.”
© 2001 Indiana University Art Museum
Send Comments and Suggestions to: iuam@indiana.edu
Photographs of artworks: Michael Cavanagh
and Kevin Montague.
Photographs of Herman B Wells: Courtesy of IU Office of Communications
and Marketing.
